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After installing Linux mint 19.1 cinnamon alongside windows 10 on my newly partitioned C: drive a few days ago, windows 10 suddenly required a BitLocker key which I don't have, since I never willingly locked my C: drive.

Now, after trying everything to somehow find this key, it is rather clear that a full re-installation of Windows 10 has to take place.

However, I also want to delete and reinstall Linux mint completely, since I have the feeling that I messed up the installation process a little bit.

I have the C: drive partitioned as follows:

  • /dev/sda1 as EFI system partition mounted as /boot/efi

  • /dev/sda3 as the basic data partition that is BitLocker encrypted

  • /dev/sda5 as root with 30GB

  • /dsv/sda6 as swap with 16GB

  • /dev/sda7 as home

If I, after completely deleting Linux, once again want to install it with a custom root, swap and home size via the "something else" installation option, how shall I best go about doing that?

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    Sorry, but I don't understand what your issue is. You seem to have everything in hand. Just reinstall normally. I would use far less swap (16G seems excessive) but apart from that, I don't see what this question is really asking. Can you edit and clarify what your specific issue is? – terdon♦ Dec 31 '18 at 9:00
  • Hey, i'm sorry for not making myself clear enough. I would like to know how i can reinstall linux mint. Should i just plug the bootable USB with the mint iso into my laptop, boot from there, delete all said partitions, and then install once again via "something else"? Then i could once again partition the unallocated free space how i want. Or should i not format the drive, whilst having linux running from my bootable usb, and just install it again on the partitions that already exist? It's just that i am not sure how to go about the formatting/deleting and reinstalling of the OS. – Felix R Dec 31 '18 at 9:03
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The only partition you need to format again when reinstalling a Linux system is the one that holds /. That's just to ensure that everything from the previous system is cleared out. You absolutely do not want to format the EFI partition, and you usually want to keep the stuff in /home, so you don't format that one either. Swap is irrelevant. You can format it or not, as you like. I would suggest reducing the size of your swap partition since 16G seems excessive, but that's really up to you. In your case, you'll also want to format the data partition to get rid of the encryption.

So, all you need to do is insert the installation medium, boot from it and reformat /dev/sda3 and /dev/sda5.

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